Description / Profile
About 20 or 30 kilometres outside Launceston is the ruin of the water powered flour mill formerly known as Beveridges Mill. Starting from the car park the track is a narrow and winding 15/ 25 min walk to what remains of the lower stone section of the building. Alongside the track is the Supply river which was the main way to transport wheat to the mill. This mill is situated on 10ha of thick bush land, running along side the mill is a quaint waterfall. When in operation the mill would grind out anywhere up to 400 sacks per week. The process was highly labour intensive though due to a heavy block and tackle system used by the water wheel. Due to the lack of space the area wouldn’t allow for a horse and so workers had to lift all things by hand. The grain milled with two very large millstones. every part of the process from ship to shore handled by the workers. The building itself had enough room for the machinery, the stock and 6 workers to live in. Other buildings that occupied the area were a piggery shed that could house 200 pigs and a small blacksmiths. Also at the waters edge were the docks and loading area. Some convicts worked in the mill, these men were classified as “Ticket of leave” workers and this was allowed due to good behaviour. The mill would only operate 8 out of 12 months, due to water shortages in summer. The Tamar Maid would ferry the flour up the 25kms of river to Launceston. After its closing it became a place for picnic’s and moon light dances. In the 1920’s a fire gutted out most of the dwellings, leaving only foundations and some walls. In the 1930’s a flood destroyed what was left of the burnt out four story mill. This mill was helpless against attack and that was no more the case when a farmer next door by the name of Gildas was murdered and In the 1830’s two bushrangers (Beaven &Britton) murdered two men named Bartlett and his boss Mr. Cathcart, leaving Bartlett’s body on the hill, when his body was found (which took awhile) it was a ghastly sight, starting to decompose and was being eaten by wild pigs. There are urban legends of other murders and perhaps a massacre, but these are unconfirmed word of mouth tales. Other word of mouth reports that of suicides on the site are also unconfirmed.
THE TRACK:
The track leading up to and beyond the old Beveridge’s mill site on the Supply River has had its fair share of spooky sightings that it deserves its own mention in the annals of Tasmanian paranormal lore. Located approximately 30kms north of Launceston in the little hamlet of Robigana. In this picturesque part of the countryside rests the decaying ruins of the once thriving Beveridge’s mill. To get to this mill and beyond you have to take a winding, narrow and sometimes steep track. The track itself gets a separate mention because of the many haunted encounters people have had there over the years. The first part of the track winds its way along the river to the main mill site. This first section of track people have encountered strange odours, such as the smell of beer brewing & tobacco smells. Other experiences include the sighting of strange objects flying over head, many weird sounds also. The common occurrence of footsteps following up the track has been encountered too. The river itself also home to ghostly sounds such as the splashing of oars as if some old time spectre still rows the muddy river. The strangest phenomena on this section of track is the time distortion. When walking towards the ruins you find yourself taking a leisurely 10 minutes or so to get there, but on the way back when one is walking towards the car park they can find themselves suddenly at the entrance, stunned at the suddenness and speed at which they came to be there, as if time had sped up or as if going through a portal. The top of the track leading to the weir and other parts of the former mill are not immune to ghostly sightings neither. figures have been seen by investigators, electrical disturbances and voices captured on video. These experiences and those at the mill make this site quite a potent mixture of paranormal encounters and potential sightings…
